“Having the dance company perform in the Riceland Auditorium is an honor,” Amanda Holsted, Grand Prairie Center director, said. “They are telling an important story from Arkansas and black history. Our community has a wonderful opportunity to see amazing, athletic dancers in this inspiring show. We are also excited about the experience the children will have when they attend the master class.”

“The Little Rock Nine” is a dramatic theatrical dance production that takes audience members through the history, emotions and story of the desegregation of Little Rock’s Central High School.

The Lula Washington Dance Theatre is a Los-Angeles based company that presents dance works rooted in the African-American culture worldwide. England, Ark., native Lula Washington founded the company in 1980 with her husband Erwin Washington.

In addition to the main event, Holsted said the dance company would provide a dance master class for area students and a community dinner. More details will be available on the free class in a later edition of the Stuttgart Daily Leader.

PCCUA is also partnering with the Holman Heritage Community Center to provide the Holman Center’s Community Dinner from 4:30-6:30 p.m. before the show in the center’s Salon A. The dinner will be $6 for children and $8 for adults with proceeds benefiting the Holman Center.

The Holman Heritage Community Center was built in the late 1940s as an African-American school and was closed in 1970 following the desegregation of the Stuttgart School District.

The building is now used to enrich the lives of area residents through tutoring, feeding, exercise and education. It also hosts Third and Fifth Sunday Community Dinners in its gymnasium.

To attend, tickets may be purchased from any Holman volunteer, at the Holman Heritage Community Center or at the Grand Prairie Center Box Office.

Performance tickets are $27, $18, $12. To purchase tickets, call the Grand Prairie Center box office at (870) 673-4201 ext. 1895. The box office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and two hours before any scheduled performance. Groups of 10 or more will receive a special discount.